MANILA, Philippines -- Malacañang on Monday welcomed Libya’s decision to send 25 ceasefire monitors "to sustain [the] ceasefire in Mindanao," a move that would make the Middle East country the lead peacekeeper in the southern Philippines after the pullout of Malaysia.

"We welcome this good news. We thank this gesture of faith to our peace process and we continue to hope for Libya's sustained and deepening participation in the IMT. … We are confident that all sectors will welcome this development," Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said in a statement.

Dureza said National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales called him from Tripoli to say an initial contingent of four monitors would be arriving in the country.

Six Libyan are currently assigned to man the International Monitoring Team (IMT) site in Iligan City and the arrival of four more would seal Libya’s 2006 commitment to field a 10-man contingent, Dureza said.

He said the actual deployment of the monitors will depend on "mutually agreed arrangements" with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Malaysia, blaming the Philippine government for the lack of progress in peace talks with the MILF, said it was pulling out its contingent from the IMT, a body formed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to monitor the 2001 ceasefire between the government and the rebel group.

It also hosts the peace talks in its capital Kuala Lumpur.

With over 40 troops stationed here, Malaysia had the largest contingent in the 60-member IMT, which includes representatives from Brunei and Libya. A Japanese development expert is also a member of the team.